The Wyoming Geologic Database uses Esri's Internet Map Server (IMS) serve over the Internet spatial and non spatial geologic information about Wyoming. The site allows a user to interactively display and query geologic information by: 1) selecting specific geologic databases, 2) defining an area of interest, 3) searching for and returning geologic information that intersects the user defined area of interest. Results of the database search as well as user created maps can be printed locally employing the user's Web browser. Examples of a few of the available data types and maps are geothermal, Oil Shale, landowner-ship, bentonite, trona, precious metals, and bedrock geology. The Wyoming Geologic Database can be accessed through the Spatial Data and Visualization Center's site at: http://www.sdvc.uwyo.edu.
The Spatial Data and Visualization Center (SDVC) at the University of Wyoming has developed an Internet Web site titled: "Wyoming Geologic Database." The purpose of the Wyoming Geologic Database (WGDB) is to gather and publicly distribute geologic information about Wyoming (or any portion thereof). More importantly, it is the purpose of the WGDB to facilitate the distribution of this information to the general public, businesses, non-profit groups, schools, government groups, and researchers.
Originally, conversations with various companies and people throughout the State, indicated the need to have geologic information easily available from a central location. The Wyoming Geologic Database was constructed to 1) enhance oil and gas exploration and development, 2) collect data which are being lost, 3) be a centralized location for obtaining data, and 4) serve as a prototype for a comprehensive statewide geologic database.
The need to have a central repository of easily accessible geologic information in Wyoming is illustrated by realizing the major cities of Wyoming are each separated by over a hundred miles. Currently different geologic databases are located in different cities. As an example, if a business from the oil industry needed information from several different databases, somebody would have to make a trip to collect the information. The trip could easily take a day and perhaps longer. The time spent traveling would become worse if it was discovered the wrong information was obtained or additional information was needed. This situation has actually occurred many times in a variety of forms. For many small business, few have the resources to spend on extensive travel many times during a year.
Discussions indicated that a solution to the problem of data accessibility might be to make data available over the World Wide Web. By placing the data in a simplified Geographic Information Systems (GIS) format additional analysis time could be saved while adding value to the data. To help focus the proposed project an advisory board of directors was formed.
The WGDB Advisory Board is made up of ten Wyoming citizens representing business, and State Government. The Board made a number of initial recommendations: 1) The Web site should be readily available and easy to access, 2) It should be easy to use by an inexperienced computer user, 3) The learning time for a non-Geographic Information System (GIS) professional should be very short, 4) The system should be inexpensive both to purchase and to maintain from the user's perspective, and 5) Assistance should be readily available.
The initial version of the site was designed to display a digital elevation map (DEM) of the State of Wyoming within an IMS Arcview graphical user interface. A set of reference themes could be turned on or off. They were designed to help orient a user in the selection of a particular area of interest on the map. These themes included roads, cities, counties, Township-Range-Section, streams, and landowner-shipA tool was created to allow the user to specify the area of interest and automatically perform a database search.
In response to a recommendation made by the WGDB Advisory Board to make the site simple so it would reach as many users as possible; the design that emerged allows userss to define an area of interest and to either interactively search the databases for information about or manipulate and generate preliminary maps of the area of interest. In addition, the search results often provide access to related tabular data through the appearance of topical links. If the user chooses to access the links additional windows open displaying the data or metadata. The search results, either in map form or tabular data, can be printed on the user's local printer.
Another WGDB Advisory Board request asked that the site be readily available. To do this it was decided that it needed to be available at all times for use. As protection from individual system crashes the site was to be served from two machines. The two machines would be equivalent so if one crashed, then the other could take up the load. This resulted in acquiring two Dell 230 MHz computers with each having 64 MB of RAM, a 2 GB hard disk, and a fast SCSI. Each machine was a Windows NT machine capable of handling ten clients at a time.
Feasibility investigations indicated users of the Web do not, understandably, like to wait for processing to take place. It was decided that, to reduce user impatience, all aspects of the site would, as much as possible, be optimized for speed. By doing this, the burden of response time would be placed on the user and the lines connecting the user's computer to the site. Part of the effort to have a fast response time for the site resulted in the decision to use Java in combination with Esri software. By doing this, the burden of a large portion of the processing was shifted to the user's machine at the cost of a longer start up due to initial Java down load time. The software packages used by the site included Windows NT, cgi scripts, Java and Esri's Arcview, Avenue scripting, and Internet Map Server (IMS) packages.
The initial software application development was contracted to the Esri Boulder Office during the Fall of 1996. When the software was received during the early Spring of 1997, enhancements were made by SDVC programmers. The Spring and Summer of 1997 were used to create the application that was to be served using the IMS. The challenge was the joint development, during the first half of 1997, of the application while Esri Redlands was developing and Beta testing the IMS. The application also development required the staff to simultaneously gain expertise in Arcview 3, Avenue, Java, and HTML.
At the same time the software was under development and the hardware was being acquired, discussions were held to decide what type of data should first be served. A number of criteria were used to make the selection: 1) The data had to potentially be of value to a large number of different users, 2) The data had to be readily available, and 3) Use of the data should illustrate the capabilities of the site. Examples of some of the initial data layers are listed discussed below.
One of the first data layers served on the WGDB was bibliographic information. The Wyoming State Geological Survey has compiled the boundaries of various geologic maps (coal maps, theses maps, hydrologic maps, etc.) onto nineteen index maps. Each of the index maps contains bibliographic references for every map boundary plotted on it. On the index maps, some of the geologic map areas overlapped. To avoid overlap problems each geologic map boundary was digitized as a region using ArcInfo. The index maps were then combined and converted into a single coverage. Using the box tool it became possible for a user to define an area on interest. The database would then be searched for map boundaries intersecting the defined area and make available a bibliographic entry of each intersecting map boundary.
Another of the first layers was Bedrock Geology. It is an attributed map of the Geology found in different parts of the state. When displayed, the "i" button was used to query specific geologic formations.
An example of a data set that has almost disappeared was the Fischer Assay Oil Shale database for the State of Wyoming. A copy of the data was obtained from the National Technical Information Center (NTIS) of the U.S. Government. The data had originally been gathered by the Government over a forty year period.
The development of the second version of the site, which went public in February of 1998, involved four efforts. First, the HTML code of the site was completely rewritten. Second, the increase in the number of databases required Java and Avenue to be rewritten to allow searches of multiple databases for information within a user specified area and overlaying on the map the search results. At the same time, additional databases were prepared. (See Appendix A for a list of databases being served.) The search tool code was also modified by SDVC programmers to allow simultaneous searches of different databases depending on user specifications.
Third, tests and analyses of the operation of the first version were conducted with the dual goals of debugging the site and optimizing its operation. The Windows NT system has a capability of handling a maximum of ten users. Analysis showed that a user entering the IMS map search portion of the site was initially allocated 5 IMS ports. The cause was found to be the number of frames displayed by the interface on the user's computer, one frame equaled one port. It was found that after the IMS finished accepting and processing a new user, the number of ports used automatically reduced to one. The number of ports caused a problem if more than two users tried to enter at the same time. The number of available ports would be less than needed, the IMS would become confused , which resulted in the site no longer serving. The solution arrived at was to upgrade the operating system from Windows NT to Windows NT Server for each computer. Windows NT Server handles up to 100 users; which gives it the capability to handle multiple simultaneous logons.
Another problem were a large number of Java errors that were difficult to track. These disappeared when the Java application code was bundled in a class library. Then, when it was downloaded only a single file needed to be transmitted rather than a large number of individual files, thereby reducing the chance of a transmission error and increasing the reliability of the IMS.
Access to the WGDB site is through the SDVC site. The address is: http://www.sdvc.uwyo.edu. In the lower left of the SDVC Home Page is a thumbnail icon of the State of Wyoming that says "Wyoming Geologic Database." Clicking the icon takes the user to the WGDB home page. Figure 1 below is an illustration of the WGDB home page.
Upon entering the Home Page a user can go to the search page by selecting "Retrieve Data" from the menu bar. Windows appear allowing the user to select the IMS and the screen size. After this the IMS Map Search window will load which allows the user to query the databases. Figure 2 below shows what the IMS Map Search Window looks like.
Appendix B contains a simplified tutorial that discusses how to use the IMS Map Search portion of the WGDB for a simple search.
Feedback from users indicates the site is successfully meeting their needs. An increasing number of businesses are using the capability of overlaying database information onto a user defined area to develop preliminary map ideas. Once the map is created a data file of the map is produced using the print capability of the site. The file is then imported into a commercial graphics software package for further enhancement. Businesses that have created these enhanced maps have been using them in presentations to customers.
An increasing number of queries are being received from schools and students. The queries indicate the site is being used to assist in GIS education, and to provide information for school projects. Inquiries for information about Geology as a career are also being received.
Evaluation of the WGDB indicates the site was attracting between 60 and 100 unique users per week in March 1998. Many of these were logging on multiple times within a week. For those whose addresses could be resolved, about 60 % were from commercial sites. The figure below shows the actual usage from August 1997 through March 1998. The rest of the hits were from education, government, and individuals.
A single user typically has multiple "hits" per session. Each hit is a separate request for a page, data, etc. The average number of hits per month were about 25,000.
The development of the WGDB site demonstrates the capability of the IMS to serve geologic data in a simplified GIS format on the World Wide Web to the citizens and businesses of Wyoming. The site demonstrates, through its simplicity, that it is possible to interactively present maps and scientific data in a simplified GIS format that are of value to businesses, educators, students, and government agencies.
Additional data layers are continually being solicited and prepared for inclusion. As the number of databases increase it is expected that they will be moved from a strictly Arcview environment to an environment that includes Oracle as the database manager.
The site is supported by funding from the National Science Foundation EPSCOR program, Wyoming Science Technology and Energy Authority (STEA) and the University of Wyoming.
The following is a list of the available databases being served by the WGDB as of April, 1998. The list is organized in the same way that the "DB" button on the Web site displays them to the user. It does not include databases that are under development.
Access to the WGDB site is through the SDVC site. The address is: : http://www.sdvc.uwyo.edu. In the lower left of the SDVC Home Page is a thumbnail icon of the State of Wyoming that says "Wyoming Geologic Database." Clicking the icon takes the user to the WGDB home page. Figure 4 below shows the WGDB Home Page.
The front-end, represented by the Home Page and the other pages occurring before the IMS map search page, are designed to provide informative information about the functioning of the WGDB. For example, there are: tutorials, help information, information about each available data type (metadata), and methods of contacting the staff if additional information or assistance is needed.
To enter the IMS search section of the site a user must first select the "Retrieve Data" topical heading at the top of the site window. In the left frame of the next window the text "Internet Map Server" should be selected. A window appears offering a choice of default screen display sizes. After one is selected the site calls the IMS search section. The initial load time can be significant due the capabilities of the user's machine and the amount of Java code down loaded to the user's machine. It can be as fast as fifteen seconds and as long as several minutes. The illustration below shows what the site looks like after loading has been completed.
On the left is a frame titled "Reference Themes." The themes are designed to help in spatial orientation. The "i" button on the toolbar can be used to obtain attribute information about a specific Reference Theme feature. On the right is a frame titled "Databases." It is used in conjunction with the "DB," "Q," and box buttons on the toolbar to select and query databases. The toolbar contains both tools and buttons used to both interactively manipulate the map and perform database searches. The frame at the bottom displays helpful messages and information resulting from user specified database searches.
To query a database it is first necessary to specify the those of interest. On the toolbar is a button marked "DB." Selecting it will open a window which offers a variety of topics as pull down menus. The menu entries are the available databases. One or more can be selected as shown in the figure below:
Clicking on the "Setup Legend" bar will initialize the selected databases for use and list them in the Database frame to the left of the map. They can then be turned On/Off for display and query purposes. The "Display Setup" button must be used each time one or more of the databases are turned On or Off. The Database Frame in the figure below shows that the Geologic Map of Bibliographic Data has been turned On.
To find the references of all available geologic maps for an area of interest, the box button was used. After turning it on, the mouse was used to define an area of interest. In Figure 8 below, a section of North East Wyoming, the Powder River Basin, was defined by a rectangle in the upper right quadrant of the map. When the drawing of the rectangle was completed, a search of the database for any maps that intersect the area of interest occurred automatically.
Information resulting from the search appears in the bottom frame of the IMS Map Search window as shown in figure 9 below:
Selecting the link in the above figure to see the search results produces a window that displays the bibliographic citations of the maps that intersect the user defined search area. The user can then select those of interest, generate a report, and decide if it should be printed out locally.
After reviewing the search results it is possible to do other searches. The user can use the tool bar box button to define other areas to search on the displayed map. Alternatively, the user can start over by returning to the original State map by using the "WYO" button and searching a different area. To use different databases, the current selection can be erased by using the waste basket button and selecting new databases.
gif files prepared by Al Deiss, graphics artist, Institute for Energy Research, University of Wyoming.
Version 2 HTML Coding Prepared by Scott Parrill and Nick Visser.
Frank Davis, Manager
Wyoming Geologic Database
Box 4068 University Station
Laramie, Wyoming 82071
E-Mail: davis@tweety.ier.uwyo.edu
Phone: 307-766-2714